Planit and GBMC identified Primary Care Physicians that operate on the hospital's main Towson campus (as well as in satellite locations across the region) as a key component for feeding the “funnel” of the hospital’s various service lines. The more new patients get engaged in a healthcare relationship with GBMC-affiliated Primary Care doctors, the more they are referred to GBMC specialists and ancillary services. GBMC challenged Planit to go beyond the typical look of hospital advertising—a field cluttered with ads featuring images of doctors and hospital buildings—in order to raise awareness of physician offices throughout Baltimore County and increase new patient volumes.

Keep in mind, I was watching it in real time, so I had no idea who it was from. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I smiled when the Lowe’s logo was revealed at the end.

They’ve managed to make the DIY-big box experience aspirational.

Proof that storytelling (even without a spoken work) can work wonders.

Enjoy. Or debate.

Product placement was said to be the new form of advertising within shows and movies.

I don’t see any sign of how true this is. Product placement is nothing new to the entertainment business, and commercials seem to have made themselves at home within online content.

I do, however, think this idea is pretty fascinating. Where are the next places we’ll be putting client messaging? For example, will credit card companies start encouraging/incentivizing Farmville users with exclusive in-game rewards when they use their cards for fictitious Farmville purchases? 

At the risk of stating the obvious, my thought is that the efficacy of this new format walks the fine line between NOT being disruptive to the user’s experience while not being totally invisible—blending into the environment like a spoof or parody.

In regard to click-through rates for “traditional” banner advertising mentioned in this article—perhaps it’s time to up the ante on the creative product instead of bailing on it all together.

Your thoughts?

So often advertising is depicted as a cutthroat, competitive industry (especially within a market like Smalltimore) where agencies are consistently pitching against one another and employees float from one shop to another. As Dave Wassell, Associate Creative Director at MGH, pointed out, “the Addys are really the only occasion where everyone can unite to celebrate the innovative work that comes out of this town.” Even then, under the spell of cheese and wine, the event feels segregated; colleagues sit together, and return to the safety of their own pods the next day. Proud of their companies’ achievements? Definitely. Hungover? Possibly. Enlightened by new strategies and solutions shared by fellow associates? Unlikely. 

Each of the four creative directors agreed on one thing—agencies need to take more risks, be ballsy, and not be afraid to fail miserably if their initial pitch doesn’t hit the nail on the head. While Todd Harvey, Creative Director at Mission Media, feels spec work devalues the company’s work, MGH claims to have done spec work for every pitch they’ve made in the last six months. So how can we get CEOs of national brands to look beyond New York or Chicago and bring their business to Baltimore? And how do you view the indifference among agencies? Would advertising in our city be more successful as one big jovial group or should we carry on with a respectful hatred of our competitors? 

(PRADA Advertisement from Vogue Magazine August 2011) 

“Oh hey! Here I am, just chillin’ with my ladies, uncomfortably wedged between the coffee table and the couch. Looks like you caught us in a real moment, didn’t you? Guess the only thing left to do is stare hauntingly at you.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love when magazines are filled with beautiful, compelling fashions and cutting-edge imagery. That’s half the reason I buy them. I even enjoy it when brands choose interesting ad layouts and photo shoots. I’m just asking the simple question: Has it gone too far? Are the high-end fashion designers taking themselves too seriously? 

Last week, I would have answered yes, but then I stumbled across this video campaign for Lanvin and I was pleasantly surprised. It pokes fun at itself and the industry. And yet the clothing still looks beautiful. 

Granted, no one is perfect. I was pretty disappointed when I looked into the Lanvin print ads and found that they weren’t as silly as the video. If only their team had utilized a QR code to link to the video. C’est la vie.

This video did get me thinking though. What’s next for high-fashion ads? Are the current and upcoming generations still enticed by these hoity-toity ads? I’m not sure. Let me know what you think when I get back from my contortionist couch-sitting class. 

I was out with my girlfriends enjoying a lovely evening at one of our favorite bars in downtown Baltimore. A random guy approached me and said “I like your David Yurman.” I was completely in shock that a guy would know any jewelry designer brand, let alone a high-fashion one. When I asked him how he knew that, he said, “I don’t know, it’s the only jewelry I know.” Knowing that most guys are uninterested in designer brands, I couldn't comprehend how he recognized the David Yurman on my wrist. To me, his awareness of the David Yurman brand of jewelry proves that their advertising and marketing techniques are succeeding.

In the jewelry sector, David Yurman has produced remarkable designs for the company’s collections. David and Sybil Yurman started as unknown small-time designers and now they run a $600 million business. Early on, David Yurman was recognized with the InterGold and the Cultured Pearl Designer of the Year awards in 1983 and continued to receive numerous awards; today David Yurman’s company is internationally known as one of America’s leading fine jewelers. David Yurman’s clientele includes celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, Kevin Spacey, Renee Zellweger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Barbra Streisand, Mary J. Blige, and Ashley Judd. Pieces are often seen donned by supermodels on the front covers of well-known fashion magazines like Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Town & Country. In its advertising campaigns, David Yurman is known for its use of world-renowned supermodels such as Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, and Amber Valleta.  

As if prominent celebrity clientele and well-circulated advertising weren’t enough, the brand is growing on Facebook and Twitter, where David Yurman is reaching out to fans, providing insider information and tips about the deluxe brand. With nearly 65,000 followers on Facebook, fans make their way to the boutique on Madison Avenue as well as popular retailer locations including Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus.  

It was 1982 when David Yurman launched his trademark David Yurman cable bracelet: a twisted helix decorated with gemstones. Since then David Yurman has been a top quality jewelry brand that outshines its competition while remaining reasonably priced. For many people a David Yurman is a must-have piece of jewelry and continues to remain a top trend in fashion. In my opinion, I think Yurman jewelry will always be a contemporary and hip brand that people will desire as a part of their wardrobes. Why do you suppose so many women, and men, are familiar with the David Yurman name? Given its prominent name today, do you think David Yurman will always be accepted in the fashion industry and continue to maintain its value? Will David Yurman have to alter its advertising methods in the ever-changing market to keep up with the latest fashion, or is Yurman a brand that will continue to transcend new trends?

Sources:
http://www.nucifora.com/art_272.html 
http://fashionablymarketing.me/2011/07/foursquare-david-yurman/
http://www.articleprism.com/david-yurman-jewelry-and-its-famous-founder-david-yurman/886
http://www.davidyurmanbracelet.org/blog
http://jewelryaccessories.com/jewelry-designers/444-david-yurman.html

I’ve noticed several monster advertisers breaking away from the their traditional, bland advertising formulas and embracing ideas and executions that are quite unexpected and refreshing. Of recent note, some of the newer work from Walmart. Mindful of their hardcore retail USB, they’ve done a terrific job in presenting it in a fun manner (including the how the spots open) while a great job of allaying the trash image often associated with their cliché customers.

Barbie's Flat Screen – Walmart Commercial

Caught – Walmart Commercial

By their own merits, these are terrific spots. Relative to Walmart, they are outstanding.
Anyhow, that’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Banner ads have long been used to monetize a publisher’s website and breakup content through strategic use of above- and below-the-fold placements. Combined with the right ad server, they have powerful tracking capabilities that allow for great insight into measuring a campaign’s success.

With that said, the one thing online ads have been lacking has been size. Rich media ads can be eye catching, but has animation taken the place of solid design and messaging in some cases? One way or the other, larger IAB ad sizes may bring a new sense of life into online display advertising design.

There are still so many questions that remain to be answered:

• Will the click-thru rates see a noticeable jump from the 0.02% to 0.07% industry standard?
• Will the $50 to $100 CPM rates be worth the cost versus the more traditional fixed-cost homepage buys?
• Will the ad networks be able to control the creative so that it does not cause crashed pages and long load times?

I spoke with a contact at a large ad network that is already using these ad units, and they have seen many verticals already benefiting from these larger ad units.

• The entertainment industry is promoting the latest film releases.
• Travel companies are creating interactive experiences that go past awareness and straight into a heavier push for ticket sales.
• Pharmaceutical companies are loving the extra space to include more room for their list of required legalese.

There will be a lot of room for growth here, and I am sure that a lot will change in the next year or so. But if this recent move begins to improve the overall art design of online ads (which has been lacking)—that is a welcome change in my eyes…

After a pre-game filed with a cool history lesson on the Declaration of Independence followed an unbearable rendition of the National Anthem, it was time for a little football…and a lot of ads.

Here's what I thought (not that you asked):

Budweiser: "Wild West" – felt forced.
Bud Light: "Product Placement" – lame
Bud Light: "Hack Job" – clever
Bud Light: "Dog Sitter" – obvious Super Bowl type ad
Stella Artois: "Crying Jean" – my wife liked it
Audi: "Release the Hounds" – kept my attention
Best Buy: "Ozzy vs. Bieber" – Ozzy always trumps Bieber
BMW: "Defying Logic" – yawn
BMW: "Changes" – David Bowie, really!?!
Mini: "Cram it in the Boot" – funny
Bridgestone: "Reply All" – stupid
Bridgestone: "Carma" – enough with drivers communicating with animals
Lipton Brisk: "Eminem" – cool animation
CareerBuilder.com: "Parking Lot" – no one can relate to that pathetic dude
Carmax: "Kid in a Candy Store" – made me chuckle
Carmax: "Gas Station" – funny
Cars.com: "Go First"- it's been done so many times
Cars.com: "Reviews Are In" – about as generic as cars dot com itself
Chrysler: "Born of Fire" – best in show
Coca-Cola: "Siege" – coke as a weapon?
Coca-Cola: "Border" – welcome to 1987
Doritos: "Pug Attack" – a solid B
Doritos: "The Best Part" – True. True.
Doritos: "House Sitting" – been done
E-Trade: "Cat" – I guess talking babies never get old
E-Trade: "Tailor" – see earlier comment
Chevrolet: "Status" – can a car really do that? (on a side note—dude, shave that ‘stash)
Chevrolet: "Discovery" – kept me watching
Chevrolet: "Misunderstanding" – misunderstood
Chevrolet: "Tommy" – stay in the well
Chevrolet: "Al's Chevy" – what was the ad for?
GoDaddy.com: "New .CO Girl" – I threw up in my mouth
GoDaddy.com: "The Contract" – what is expected from them
Groupon: "Tibet" – good
HomeAway: "Smush" – so so
Hyundai: "Anachronistic City" – anything with the big cell phone makes me smile
Hyundai: "Deprogramming" – it kept my attention
Hyundai: "Hypnotized" –  it also kept my attention, but what was it for?
Kia: "One Epic Ride" – big production for big production’s sake
Mercedes-Benz: "Welcome" – great demonstration of successful history
Motorola: "Empower the People" – I like the not-so-subtle jab at Apple
NFL: "American Family" – cool
Pepsi Max: "Love Hurts" – typical Pepsi ad
Pepsi Max: "First Date" – another typical Pepsi ad
Pepsi Max: "Torpedo Cooler" – really, a can in the balls?
Salesforce: "Impossible Things" – as bad as the halftime show!
Salesforce: "Cloud Interview" – as bad as the halftime show!
Skechers: "The Breakup" – are Sketchers that hot?
Snickers: "Logging" – the Betty White version was better
Teleflora: "Help Me Faith" – hilarious
Volkswagen: "Black Beetle" – hmmmmm
Volkswagen: "The Force" – great…too bad it was all over the web in advance of the game

See all the ads for yourself – http://adage.com/superbowl/article?article_id=148677
What do you think?

A recent Ad Age article discusses how Smirnoff is saying the company took measures to stop the "icing" site BrosIcingBros.com. Smirnoff's parent company, Diageo, claims that "Icing does not comply with our marketing code."

Personally, I've never seen such a phenomenon take off on social networks like "icing" has the past couple of weeks. I had not heard of "icing" until Memorial Day weekend when I was stuck in Baltimore and took a break from moving to see what my friends were up to in Dewey Beach. Low and behold, I kept seeing people on one knee drinking out of a bottle. Mobile uploads don't all have the best clarity, so it took a few pictures and captions to realize it was a Smirnoff Ice bottle. My friend even "iced" his roommate by leaving a bottle in the dishwasher full of clean dishes, waiting for her to unload it. My first reaction was surprise that this game existed, let alone was catching on in the perfect age demographic for this brand. A brand that most of us haven't had since…well…we weren't supposed to be having alcohol. My second thought was, Don't these people's teeth feel like they are going to shatter after chugging that sweet, tart-like drink? What are your thoughts about this?

Should Smirnoff take down the site and separate itself from this phenomenon? Also, will dentists see more action with more adults slugging sugary sweet drinks?